Other materials stories that may be of interest

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have combined two different approaches—X-ray scatting during molecular beam epitaxy and computational predictions—to synthesize new materials. This new strategy shortens the timeframe to manufacture a new, stable material for energy transport and conversion applications.

A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and at Tsinghua University in China have developed a Raman microlaser sensor in a silicon dioxide chip that can find individual nanoparticles without the need to “dope” the chip with rare-earth ions to provide optical gain for the microlaser.

Materials scientists at MIT have added a new wrinkle to research on the patterning of surfaces: While most research has focused on patterns on the outer surfaces of materials, a team has begun to explore the effects of patterned surfaces deep within materials—specifically, at the interfaces between layers of crystalline materials.

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have developed what they call “a simple, one-step method” to grow nanowires of germanium from an aqueous solution. Their process could make it more feasible to use germanium in lithium-ion batteries.

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered they can control chemical reactions in a new way by creating different shapes of cerium oxide, a rare-earth-based catalyst. Their finding holds potential for refining fuels, decreasing vehicle emissions, producing commodity chemicals and advancing fuel cells and chemical sensors.

University of Washington scientists have developed what they believe is the thinnest-possible semiconductor, a new class of nanoscale materials made in sheets only three atoms thick. Two of these single-layer semiconductor materials can be connected in an atomically seamless fashion known as a heterojunction.